Hope for the Christian Church in 2024

Jim Farrer Nov. 27, 2023

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Some Christians might currently believe that the most relevant book in the Bible is Lamentations. Negative news reports outnumber good news about the church. Without question, some of the statistics are truly alarming.

Since 1965, membership in most mainline denominations has declined. Recently, researcher Ed Stetzer compiled statistics from the 25 largest faith groups in the United States. The only two orthodox Christian groups that were growing proved to be the Assemblies of God and the Church of God (Cleveland).

Resources available

While the outlook for the church may seem dim, we do have ample resources to address the difficulties. In his book Small Congregations, Big Potential, Lyle E. Schaller revealed: "(There) is an abundance of gifted, skilled, deeply committed, and creative lay people who are waiting to be challenged."

In addition, the church has the benefit of more than 80 years of research on the foreign mission field and now in North America. Observes George Hunter, professor emeritus at Asbury Theological Seminary, "More is known about how the Christian faith spreads and how Christ's church grows than any other generation has ever known in the history of the Christian movement."

Researchers Scott Thumma and Dave Travis in Beyond Megachurch Myths compile the unexpected results of several surveys. Approximately 85 percent of Americans consider themselves Christian, and this level "has remained remarkably stable...for a long period of time."

Seeing a half-full glass

From 2016 through 2019 an average of 34 percent of US adults said that they attended worship during the previous week. Another Gallup survey taken in May 2023 reported a drop to 31 percent. From the 1970s until 2015 the average fluctuated from slightly above to slightly below 40 percent. For some perspective one should recall that this percentage is more than during the period of 1939 until 1953.

Additionally according to Professor Martin Marty in one common estimate, church participation between 1776 and 1850 jumped from 17 to 34 percent.

According to a Barna Group survey of 13,349 US adults, from the years 2019 to 2022, "The percentage of Millennials reporting weekly church attendance has increased from 21 percent to 30 percent."

Seeing the glass half-full demonstrates that although the majority of the younger generations are not in the pews, they are available for invitation. Surprisingly, a Lifeway survey of 15,000 adults reports that "eighty-nine percent of younger unchurched adults are willing to listen to someone tell them what they believe about Christianity." Also, more than 63 percent say that a personal invitation from a friend, neighbor or family member would be effective in getting them to visit a church. Christmas Eve, Easter and Mother's Day are especially appealing to them for attending.

The prospective numbers are huge. There are at least 180 million Americans who are functionally secular, making the US the third largest mission field in the world.

Untapped possibilities

Many congregations forebode about aging populations in their churches and communities. However, according to Charles Arn, author of White Unto Harvest -- Evangelizing Today's Senior Adults, this age group is a growing and untapped resource for the church. By 2030, almost 20 percent of the US population will be 65-plus. According to Gallup polls religiousness increases with age. The least religious age is 23, and people are most religious at 80.

A General Social Survey concluded that only 57 percent of the US population prays everyday. However, that percentage has dropped only three percent since 1983. One doubts that the respondents thought to include such daily prayers as "Help!" "Wow!" "Oops!" and "How long, O LORD?" or the exclamation "O My God!"

Spirituality is still "in" today. Many people are in a desperate search for a relationship with the true God. Even "Nones and Dones" and New-Agers are fascinated by Jesus and eager to learn more about Him, especially in a neutral setting.

Don't lose heart

As the Christian church faces criticism and challenges, we should not be overly discouraged.

After a regional church district lost all of its savings due to a court case, the leader responded in this manner: We still have the Bible, the cross, the bread and cup, the towel to wipe tears, the presence of the Lord, and "the powers of the age to come" (Hebrews 6:5). We have a glorious future.

Over the centuries the church of Jesus Christ has made a truly positive impact on individuals and society. As Liberty University co-founder Elmer Towns declares in What's Right with the Church: "The church is the most powerful transforming force in history."

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Jim Farrer is the founder of Vital Signs Church Consulting and a member of the Society for Church Consulting. A broadly-trained church consultant, Jim is also a veteran of ministry positions in Canada and the U.S., he has trained leaders from 18 denominations and led seminars and coaching sessions nationwide. His articles have been published in the Journal of Evangelism and Missions and the Great Commission Research Journal. You can reach him by e-mailing revup1@yahoo.com or calling 814 629-5211. Learn More »

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